Desk appointment calendar



March 18, 1969 R. W. mm- 3,432,952

DESK APPOINTMENT CALENDAR Original Filed June 5, 1965 INVENTOR.

ROBERT W. PRATT BY ATTORNEYS United States Patent Office Patented Mar.18, 1969 3,432,952 DESK APPOINTMENT CALENDAR Robert W. Pratt, Box 1,Greene, RJ. 02827 Continuation of application Ser. No. 460,978, June 3,1965. This application June 9, 1967, Ser. No. 646,418 US. Cl. 40-117 6Claims Int. Cl. G09d 3/10; G091? 11/24 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Acalendar having a permanent base with drive mechanism mounted thereinand a removable disposable unit removably positioned in the base with aweb which may be written on extending from one reel to another reelwhich reels have simple driven means to cooperate with the drivemechanism of the base and receive motion in either direction therefrom.

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 460,978 filedJune 3, 1965, now abandoned.

This invention relates to a desk appointment calendar having a writingspace assigned to each day on which, as is usual with such calendars,appointments and memoranda may be noted, but differing from other suchcalendars by reason of certain unique design and mechanicalcharacteristics.

The invention comprises a permanent box-like base receiving member madeof wood, metal, plastic, or other material, appropriately finished,together with a disposable calendar unit good for a year or other periodof time which may be readily positioned in, and just as readily removedfrom the base, or receiving member, when a new unit is needed. Thecalendar unit comprises a web of material, such as paper, on which thecalendar is printed, a supply reel on which the web is stored, a writingplaten across which the web is drawn, and a take-up reel for receivingthe web after it is drawn across the platen. When the calendar unit isin place in the base, and the device is ready for use, only the printedface of the calendar unit (the writing surface) is visible through anopening in the top of the base. The base includes a drive mechanismwhich engages the calendar unit when the unit is in place so designedthat the web can be drawn from either reel to the other across the faceof the writing platen by rotating a knob on the outside of the base. Inthis manner, the user can quickly bring into view any segment of thecalendar, past, current, or future.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a device having apermanent base and a disposable calendar unit which is simple to reloadwith a new calendar unit. With this invention, it is necessary only toremove the top from the base, lift out the used calendar unit, andinsert anew unit.

Another object of the invention is to provide a disposable calendar unithaving the web on which the calendar is printed permanently assembledwith the supply and take-up reels.

Another object of the invention is to provide means that will preventthe web from ballooning when being drawn from one reel to the other sothat it will always be tight across the writing platen over which it isdrawn.

Another object of the invention is to provide a disposable calendar unitof such simple construction as to be inexpensive to manufacture.

Another object of the invention is to provide a drive mechanism that canbe readily engaged with or disengaged from a calendar unit so that aunit may be readily inserted in or removed from the base.

Another object of the invention is to provide a drive mechanism thatwill permit either the supply reel or the take-up reel to be rotatedindependently of the other so that the web may be drawn in eitherdirection.

Another object of the invention is to provide a drive mechanism that issuificiently compact to be housed in the base without adding undesirablebulk to the base.

Another object of the invention is to provide maximum calendar space foreach square inch of desk space occupied by the device.

Another object of the invention is to provide easy access to theinterior of the base, as for changing calendar units, by having atopthat is easily removed and replaced.

Another object of the invention is to present the face of the calendarat a convenient angle to the user.

Another object of the invention is to provide a writing surface that canbe conveniently written on at any point, including the extreme low edgeof the writing surface.

Another object of the invention is to provide means that will preventthe device from creeping away from the user as a result of the pressureexerted in writing when notations are made on the calendar.

Another object of the invention is to provide in the base a flexiblecover that may be drawn over the exposed face of the calendar to concealthe same if desired.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction as will be more fully described andparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the complete device, assembled, andready for use;

FIG. 2 is a central section thereof;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the disposable calendar unit partlybroken away to show the construction;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view through one side wall of the base, disclosingthe drive mechanism for the reels substantially on line 44 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 5 is an end view of part of the drive mechanism;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of one of the parts of the drive mechanism;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing how the disposable calendar unit isreceived into the base to mesh with the drive mechanism; and

FIG. 8 is an end view on areduced scale of one side of the device.

With reference to the drawings, in FIGS. 1 and 2, 10 designates thepermanent box-like base receiving member, shown made of wood, having abottom wall 11, side walls 12 and 13, a back wall 14, a very low frontwall 15 and a removable top 20 which might vary widely in design andmaterial but is here shown as a fiat plate with a large opening 21 inits reposing in the rabbeted upper edges of the walls 12, 13, 14, and15, as at 16, 17, 18, and 19, where it is shown as held in place byfriction but could be held by screws, a latch or some other lockingdevice. When the top 20 is removed from the base 10, a disposablecalender unit 25, as seen in FIG. 3, may be removably positioned throughthe open top of the base.

The disposable calendar unit 25, as shown in FIG. 3, comprises the webof paper or other material 35 on which the calendar is printed, a supplyreel 31 on which the web is stored, a writing platen 26 of metal orother material having sufi'icient stiffness to resist the pressure ofbeing written on, across which the web 35 is drawn printed side out, anda take-up reel 36 for receiving the web after it is drawn across theplaten 26. At its ends, the web is afiixed to the reels in somepermanent fashion. The platen is rolled in arcuate fashion as at 29 and30 to enhance its stiffness and to provide smooth, gradual curves overwhich to draw the web where it must be drawn around turns. The twoopposite sides of the platen are bent at the edges 27 at right angles tothe surface of the platen to provide reel mounts 28L and 28R which servein lieu of pillow blocks to accommodate the supply and take-up reels 31and 36. The reels are mounted by means of cylindrical trunnions 32 and37 (as seen in FIG. 2) in the ends of the reels at mount 28L extendingthrough the mount 28L, and reel gears 38 and 33 in the opposite ends ofthe reels at mount 28R extending through the mount 28R. The trunnion andreel gear of each reel, being exactly opposite one another, act asjournals so that the reels may be rotated in the mounts when the reelgears are turned. A resilient bendable piece of metal or other springymaterial 40 is held by means of a rod 41, or other member serving thesame purpose, attached to the opposite reel mounts 28L and 28R, whichpiece of metal or other material 40, being under tension as a result ofbeing bent, continuously exerts pressure against the supply and take-upreels 31 and 36 serving as a brake to prevent ballooning of the web ateither reel or at the opening 21 in the top when the web is not undertension.

A drive mechanism for turning the reel gears 38 and 33 of the calendarunit when the unit is in place is located in a recess 44 in the sidewall 12 of the base 10. The drive mechanism is shown in section in FIG.4. The mechanism is actuated by a rotatable knob 46 on the outside ofthe base attached to a rotatable shaft 45 which connects the knob withthe rest of the drive mechanism which consists of a main gear 49permanently attached to the shaft 45 by one or more rivets through theflange 50 that is an integral part of the shaft, an intermediate gearcarrier 52 having cars 54 and 55 to which the intermediate gears 56 and57 are attached, as may be seen in FIGS. and 6, which is free to turn onthe shaft 45 and is separated from the main gear 49 by a spacer orwasher 51, and a spring 53 which holds the assembly against the plate 47through which the shaft 45 passes. The plate 47 holds the assemblytogether by being secured to the side wall 12 by screws as at 48. Itwill be seen that the intermediate gears 56 and 57 in their normaloperating positions, as shown, are both in permanent engagement with themain gear 49.

When the base has no calendar unit 25 in it and one is to be inserted,the top 20 is first removed. The knob 46 is then pulled away from thebase against the resistance of the spring 53 thereby pulling the gear49, the spacer 51, and the intermediate gear carrier 52 with it untilmovement is stopped against the side wall 12 of the base. With theintermediate gears 56 and 57 thus held out of the way, a calendar unit25 is positioned within the base by inserting the trunnions 32 and 37 inholes located to receive them in side wall 13, but not visible in thedrawings (or, alternatively, in slots 60 and 61 in side wall 13 withsome device to restrain vertical movement of the trunnions in the slotsafter the unit is in position) and dropping the reel gears 33 and 38into the slots 62 and 63 in the plate 47 positioning them as is seen inFIG. 7. The knob 46 is then released which will allow the spring 53 toreturn the assembly to its normal operating position in which positionintermediate gear 56 can be meshed with reel gear 33, or intermediategear 57 can be meshed with reel gear 38 as may be required for operationof the device as will be made clear below. When either intermediate gearis meshed with its companion reel gear it will serve to restrainvertical movement by the calendar unit in the slots 62 and 63. The lowerend of the calendar unit 25 will be positioned on the bottom wall 11 ofthe base 10 by the inclined edges of the reel mounts, 28L and 28R, asindicated at 28X in FIG. 2.

To remove an obsolete calendar unit 25 from the base 10, the top 20 isfirst removed, the knob 46 is pulled away from the base and theprocedure described above for inserting a new unit is followed inreverse.

With a calendar unit in place, to operate the device, if it is desiredto move the web 35 from the supply reel 31 to the take-up reel 36, theknob 46 will be turned clockwise. This action will first swing theintermediate gear carrier 52 so that the intermediate gear 56 willengage the reel gear 33 on the take-up reel 36, while at the same timethe intermediate gear 57 will be disengaged from the reel gear 38. Uponcontinuing to rotate the knob 46 clockwise, the web will be drawn fromthe supply reel 31 to the take-up reel 36, If, however, it is desired torefer back to material which may have been recorded on a portion of theweb that has already been drawn onto the take-up reel 36, it is merelynecessary to turn the knob 46 counterclockwise when the first thing thatwill happen will be that the intermediate gear carrier 52 is swung so asto disengage the intermediate gear 56 from the reel gear 33 and engagethe intermediate gear 57 with the reel gear 38 on the supply reel 31.Further counterclockwise rotation will then draw the web back from thetake-up reel 36 to the supply reel 31.

A permanent inner flexible cover 65 (not to be confused with the top 20)which might be of leather, plastic, or some other flexible material or acombination of materials, may be incorporated in the base, which covercan be pulled downward by means of the handle 66, if desired, to coverthe writing surface of the platen 26 and the web 35, and may be pushedupward again to expose the web when desired. Such cover extends fromside wall 13 to side wall 12, less allowance for clearance, under theside edges of the top 20, so that when moved either upward or downwardit is guided at the sides by the inside surfaces of the side walls 12and 13, or some other form of guide may be used. When the cover ispushed upward, it is guided into the base 10 by means of a guide 67which might be curved as at 68 at its upper end and curved as at 69 atits lower end.

Non-slip material of rubber or plastic is afiixed to the bottom wall ofthe base 11 somewhat as at 70 to prevent the base from creeping awayfrom the user when the calendar is being written on.

I claim:

1. A desk calendar comprising a permanent box-like base receivingmember, a disposable calendar unit removably positioned in said base,said unit comprising a platen, reels carried by said platen, each reelprovided with a gear, a web having its opposite ends attached to saidreels and extending across said platen, and means carried by said baseand engageable with a gear of a reel of said unit to draw the web fromone reel to the other across said platen, said means comprising a drivegear, a member carrying spaced intermediate gears which is rockable byactuation of the drive gear to cause engagement of one of saidintermediate gears with the gear of one of said reels and disengagementof its other intermediate gear with the gear of the other of said reelsfor selectively drawing the web across the platen in either direction asdesired.

2. A desk calendar as in claim 1 wherein the drive gear is much greaterin diameter than the gears which it drives.

3. A desk calendar comprising a receiving base having manipulating meanscomprising a rockable member carrying spaced driving means, a disposableunit removably positioned in said base comprising a platen of sufiicientstiffness to resist the pressure of being written upon and provided withtwo pairs of opposite bearings, a pair of reels rotatably supported inspaced relation in said bearings, a web extending across the uppersurface of said platen with one end attached to one reel and the otherend attached to the other reel, driven means on each reel, the drivenmeans of one of said reels being so spaced from the driven means of theother reel as to be engaged by one of said spaced driving means as themember is rocked in one direction while disengaging the other of saidspaced driving means from the driven means of the other reel.

4. A desk calendar comprising a box-like receiving base and a unitremovably positioned therein, cooperating means between said base andunit to rotate said reels, said unit comprising a platen, a pair ofreels carried by said platen, driven means on each reel, said baseprovided with driving means comprising an axially slidable drive shaft,driving means on said drive shaft located above and engaging said drivenmeans on said reels and so positioned as to interfere with the removalor insertion of the removable unit when in driving position, a springurging said drive shaft into such interference driving position butyieldable to move said shaft and said means out of the interferenceposition for the insertion or removal of the unit.

5. A desk calendar comprising a box-like base with opposite side wallsand a manipulating means for imparting rotation, a disposable calendarunit comprising a platen of suflicient stiffness to resist the pressureof being written upon and provided with downwardly extending sideflanges removably telescoping into the side walls of said base, saidflanges having openings therein to provide two pairs of oppositebearings, a pair of reels rotatably supported in spaced relation in saidbearings, a web extending across the upper surface of said platen withone end attached to one reel and the other end attached to the otherreel, and means on each of said reels for cooperation with saidmanipulating means in the base for receiving rotation therefrom.

6. For insertion in a base having manipulating means therefor, adisposable unit for a desk calendar comprising a platen of sutficientstiifness to resist the pressure of being written upon and provided withtwo pairs of opposite bearings, a pair of reels having end sockets,inserts in said sockets providing trunnions for rotatably supportingsaid reels in spaced relation in said bearings,

a web extending across the upper surface of said platen and over eachend of said platen with one end attached to one reel and the other endattached to the other reel, said inserts being provided with gear-likeribs extending axially of the reels and gripping the inner surface ofsaid sockets and also serving as gears along the portion extendingoutwardly beyond the ends of the reels for cooperation with a movingpart in the base for receiving rotation therefrom.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 621,017 3/1899 Bellet -93 937,98110/1909 Adams 40-93 1,396,553 11/1921 Bovy 40-86 1,547,033 7/1925Crawford 40-86 1,801,139 4/1931 Chalek. 1,921,103 8/1933 Smith 40-862,498,476 2/1950 Alfonso 40-86 3,104,483 9/1963 Thompson 40-86 FOREIGNPATENTS 282,612 12/ 1927 Great Britain.

EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner.

WENCESLAO J. CONTRERAS, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R.

